Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and U.S. Sen. Mark Udall have reasons to be mildly optimistic about their chances for re-election next year, according to a very early indicator Public Policy Polling put out Thursday. Neither candidate yet has a known opponent, which could shake up the results, but the Democratic-leaning survey firm said they checked that out.

The poll gauged the Democratic governor’s approval rating at 53 percent. While that’s on the positive side of for Hickenlooper, voters who disapprove of the affable leader has spiked from just 26 percent in November to 44 percent in the latest look. Approval, on the other hand, has been “pretty steady,” dropping only 2 points while those who were apparently ambivalent before pulled away from him.

“What’s happened is that a lot of Republicans and conservative leaning independents who were neutral on him during his first two years have moved into the negative column after his leadership on issues like guns and civil unions this year. Still his numbers are pretty strong,” the firm stated on its website.

Three key staffers for Republican Scott McInnis quit today after a week of plagiarism allegations and accusations of campaign mismanagement battered their boss.

Policy director Mac Zimmerman, political director Dustin Zvonek and regional director T.Q. Houlton packed up and left, according to sources close to McInnis’ gubernatorial campaign.

McInnis spokesman Sean Duffy could not be immediately reached.

Zvonek and Houlton were staffers of former Congressman Tom Tancredo, who garnered the most support for governor among registered Republican voters in a Denver Post poll released Friday. Zimmerman was also the chief of staff for former senate minority leader Josh Penry. And Zvonek worked for him as as a policy analyst.

Despite calls for him to step aside, Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott McInnis said this morning he isn’t going anywhere.

“I am in it to win it,” he wrote on his Facebook page. “We will continue to fight for Colorado’s businesses and families and will not leave this race. Stay strong!”

But top Republicans who have been meeting and discussing the issue said McInnis is done — whether he knows it or not. Party insiders say the damage to McInnis is so severe that he can’t recover, and they are actively courting University of Colorado president Bruce Benson, Senate Minority Leader Josh Penry, and interestingly, U.S. Senate candidates Ken Buck and Jane Norton who are embroiled in their own primary.

While Penry, who dropped out of the primary against McInnis in November, is respected by many in his party, he lacks one important virtue: cash. Norton and Buck already have large campaign funds and Benson is a wealthy oil and gas executive who could self-fund for awhile.

Because ballots are already printed and go out on Monday, if McInnis drops out the word needs to get out out to voters that a vote for McInnis would be a vote for the new candidate. That takes a lot of radio, TV and mailings, which is expensive.

All this could be moot if the Colorado Secretary of State’s office decides the Republicans can’t substitute a new candidate.

Joey Bunch has been a reporter for 28 years, including the last 12 at The Denver Post. For various newspapers he has covered the environment, water issues, politics, civil rights, sports and the casino industry.